My daughter wants her Bersa Thunder .380 for CCW because she "likes" it and enjoys shooting it. She handles it quite well but I think she should carry her snub .38 Special.

Where she lives, Utah, it is common for folks to wear thick winter clothes and I believe the heavier weight bullets fired by a .38 Special would be more effective in a defensive situation. So we are at odds on this issue. Of course, she is 21, can make her own decisions and does not need my permission.

Am I worrying about nothing? Is my argument worth pushing with her? If she continues to insist on the Bersa Thunder .380 what can she do to maximize its performance in terms of self-defense?

Thanks

__________________
"My plea is that we stop seeking out the storm and enjoy more fully sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we accentuate the positive. I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort." Gordon B. Hinckley

__________________
"My plea is that we stop seeking out the storm and enjoy more fully sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we accentuate the positive. I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort." Gordon B. Hinckley

If it were me, I'd advise my daughter or any other concealed license holder/armed citizen to get a better sidearm than a Bersa .380acp for cold weather carry.
A .44spl DA only snub like a Charter Arms Bulldog or a Ruger LCR .357magnum revolver would be good.
A semi-auto DA only like a SIG Sauer P224 DAK or a P290 with a laser makes sense. The 9x19mm & .357sig work best for compacts.
Larger calibers like the 10mm, .40S&W or .45acp would do well in colder weather but may be harder to control.
Keep in mind things like gloves, heavy jackets, leather etc may not work with smaller rounds like the .380acp or 9x18mm.
She should carry the largest caliber in the smallest format she can safely handle.

What a coincidence. I also like my Bersa Thunder 380 and enjoy shooting it. I even carry it!

Depending on how I carry it, I often use the optional 9-round mag for a capacity of 10 rounds, with a spare 7-round mag in a pocket. I use Buffalo Bore .380 ammo labeled "+P" (yes, I know there is no such thing officially) 95gr JHP. They also make a 100gr hard-cast flat-nosed lead if you want to go for non-expanding with plenty of penetration.

Keep in mind that .380, 9mm, .38 special, and .357 magnum all punch an identical-sized hole if the round doesn't expand, so it may be just as good as the .38 if heavy clothing plugs a JHP.

Hard to decide if five .38s would be better than ten .380s until after the gunfight.

Wait, let me get this right: your 21-year-old daughter will carry a handgun, has determined which of her firearms she shoots best and will practice with the most often, and you're quibbling with her about her decision?

Count your blessings here. Dad, she's done her own homework, so now it's time to let her grow up and make her own decisions.

pax

The best compliment to a child or a friend is the feeling you give him that he has been set free to make his own inquiries, to come to conclusions that are right for him, whether or not they coincide with your own. – Alistair Cooke

Yes, PAX...my daughter has wanted to carry for a long time. She started shooting handguns with me when she was about 8 and goes to the range on her own...no guys needed to help in her opinion...ha ha. She decided to get her CCW permit on her own...actually, she asked for the money to take the class and for the the application fee as an early birthday present. She did the leg work. And, when her CCW card came in the mail she could not wait to call me and tell me about it. I am a proud papa. ha ha

She is my little girl even at 5' 2"...guess I am still trying to protect her. What am I thinking. This is the same girl that goes jogging on mountain trails on her own, scheduled and paid for a study abroad class in Amman, Jordan on her own, scheduled and paid for a sky diving experience on her own, joined a boxing gym on her own, etc....hhmmmmmmmmm She seems to make some good personal enhancement decisions.

__________________
"My plea is that we stop seeking out the storm and enjoy more fully sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we accentuate the positive. I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment and endorse virtue and effort." Gordon B. Hinckley

I agree with your concern, however the better message is regardless of caliber, it's where you put the holes in the goblin that count. Focus on that, maybe her mind with change with time maybe it will not, however I will take the person who puts the 380 COM any day over one who gets the "near miss"

I am definitely not trying to insult you, but the internet sure has a way of magnifying problems, even genuine ones, with a cartridge. If you were to base your opinions purely on gun forums, you'd think shooting .40 S&W was like holding a stick of dynamite and .380 was a BB gun.

Keep in mind that 9mm short has been a popular European police loading for decades. It gets pretty cold in parts of Europe too, and people wear coats there, too.

Is the .380 a duty cartridge, in the same league as 9mm/.40/.45? Absolutely not. In a full-size gun you're better served with a larger cartridge. But in a small gun, it nicely bridges the gap between concealment and power.

I carry my LCP year-round. I shoot well with it and it wears easily so I am carrying 100% of the time that I legally can.

Her confidence and comfort with her weapon system are paramount. If she trusts the Thunder and is comfortable and familiar with it, her proficiency with the system will more than make up for the .380's moderate performance

Southern Shooter, I'm jealous. My wife refuses to carry a gun or even own a gun of her own. And yet she very often walks to her car after work for several blocks through bad neighborhoods after dark. I finally got her to carry pepper spray but she recently admitted to me that it's usually lost at the bottom of her purse.

A heavier bullet out of a 38 snub is only marginally better than a 380 at best.
I can shoot a LCP or my Bersa 380 far better than any 38 snub I've owned especially a LCR, which is the worst gun I ever owned from a accuracy and physical discomfort standpoint.

Iam glad she got her permit , shoots and owns a Bersa Nothing wrong with the 380 I have the 44spl 45acp 38spl but still a 380 on me more than other
I think Critical Defense will do her fine . I uselly say Corbon or BB DPX load but winter fo with the CD

Count your Blessings. It sounds like you have raised a great daughter. I tend to side with those who believe proficiency and comfort trump caliber size. Like many have said before me; "It's better to have the .380 in your pocket, than the 105 mm howitzer left at home." I don't own a .380 yet, but still believe it is a great round for a concealed carry pistol, where small size and light weight are so important. I mostly carry an early 80s S&W Mod 60. But if my wife were to buy me, say a Ruger LCP for Christmas, I probably would carry it as often, if not more so, than my S&W .38 special. Both rounds have a proven track record and I would feel confident that either would be sufficient for self-defense against the typical two legged predator. Heck, I might even carry both at the same time.

Yep... Count your blessings SS... She could've fallen in love with a .22.

.380 isn't bad... I carry one about half the time.

__________________ What did Mrs. Bullet say to Mr. Bullet? ... "We're having a BeeBee!"...IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT!... IF THE GUN FITS, SHOOT IT!
"Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it."

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